INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
tourist hiker, and from a certain time in my life, I have visited Lagonaki every year
initiative launched a campaign of appeals to Russia's Investigative Committee, the Prosecutor General's Office and State Duma lawmakers,
to mention that it is unethical when some are at war, others are building water parks, spa zones and golf clubs!"The year-round "mountain
eco-resort" is expected to open to visitors next year, with 37 kilometers of ski slopes to be built by 2030 and a total of 642 hotel rooms
eventually completed.One business that stands to reap benefits from the project is Rezort Investment, an investor company linked via
intermediaries to former federal agriculture minister and ex-Krasnodar region Governor Alexander Tkachyov, according to the environmental
will be built on the Lagonaki Plateau and major construction sites such as hotels will sit outside it, the planned ski resort has
said in its decision in 2023, adding that large-scale development puts the Western Caucasus at risk of appearing on the List of World
Heritage in Danger.Disturbed wildlifeIn a notable display of support for the public initiative, over 200 Russian scholars signed an open
letter to President Vladimir Putin urging him to protect Lagonaki from development.They stressed that the local ecosystem, home to nearly
year-round, with skiing in winter and tourist groups in summer."Lagonaki Plateau in winter.RusRec13 (CC BY-SA 3.0)Resort management will
Plateau sits on unstable karst formations, the project risks creating sinkholes and other dramatic changes in the landscape."Plus, there's a
large number of rare plants that will inevitably be physically destroyed by any construction," the expert concluded.Turbulent roadIn an
apparent response to these concerns, authorities have stressed that the Lagonaki resort will boost the local economy and attract tourist
development plans within the Lagonaki ski resort after canceling the expansion of its hotels in Russia in 2022.The project has nevertheless
In October 2023, Kumpilov said it would create a total of 2,000 jobs
low-paid positions such as waitressing and cleaning, as locals from nearby small villages lack the English skills necessary for
unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government
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